CFIB statement on Small Business Week

Ottawa, October 15, 2017 – The following statement was issued by Dan Kelly, President of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), for Small Business Week, which takes place from October 15 to October 21:

“This week, Canadians celebrate Small Business Week, a time when our country recognizes our small and medium-sized business owners and applauds the many contributions they make to our communities from coast to coast.

This year, Small Business Week has even more significance as we expect the federal government to share — as early as Monday — its revised proposals to the way incorporated small businesses are taxed in Canada.

For the past three months, small business issues have been in the news perhaps more than at any point in the last twenty years. The battle over the federal government’s unfair tax changes for small business have prompted many people from all walks of life to speak out in defense of Canada’s entrepreneurs. I have been incredibly grateful for this outpouring of support and I hope to see it reflected in the government’s plans.

Small business owners are part of Canada’s middle class. There are 1.1 million Canadians who own a business with paid staff, not including the millions of self-employed. Two-thirds of these businesses earn less than $73,000 per year and our governments do not always make it easy for them. We certainly don’t need them to make it tougher.

This week, I encourage all Canadians to continue to show their support of small business owners. On October 21, Small Business Saturday is a perfect opportunity to shop at your favourite neighbourhood spot, the local business that helps you feel at home in your community. CFIB encourages people to visit shopsmallbiz.ca, an online directory dedicated to finding and promoting locally-owned independent businesses. Please help us spread the word by using the hashtags #SmallBizSaturday and #FindYourSpot over the course of Small Business Week.”